Bucklemaker Goes Bust

It's very sad to hear the Bucklemaker on St. Paul's Square has fallen into liquidation.

The Bucklemaker was highly regarded and specialised in fish dishes.

I now worry for some of the Jewellery Quarter's other top restaurants such as Lasan and Pasta di Piazza - although the latter was still bustling the last time I visited a few weeks ago.

It's especially sad when you read the report by the Birmingham Post's food critic Richard McComb, who went to meet the man behind the Bucklemaker, Nick Crudgington.

A major issue will be the settlement of The Bucklemaker’s lease, for which Crudgington said he is personally liable. He renewed the tenancy five years ago – and it has another 20 to run. At the time, the business was doing well – “Ticking over nicely” – but the economic climate has changed dramatically. Referring to the global recession, Crudgington added: “Who foresaw this? I didn’t.”

Looking around the basement bar and restaurant, he said: “The market has dropped right away. I was in here at 1 o’clock yesterday lunchtime and it was empty. There wasn’t anybody in. It was the first time that has happened in 20 years. I have been very worried for the past months but that was the final straw.”

I don't see any evidence of "green shoots" of recovery here.